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convince - 5 dictionary results
con⋅vince
[kuh
n-vins] 
–verb (used with object), -vinced, -vinc⋅ing.
| 1. | to move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action: to convince a jury of his guilt; A test drive will convince you that this car handles well. |
| 2. | to persuade; cajole: We finally convinced them to have dinner with us. |
| 3. | Obsolete. to prove or find guilty. |
| 4. | Obsolete. to overcome; vanquish. |
Origin:
1520–30; < L convincere to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong, equiv. to con- con- + vincere to overcome; see victor
1520–30; < L convincere to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong, equiv. to con- con- + vincere to overcome; see victor
Related forms:
con⋅vinc⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
con⋅vinc⋅ed⋅ness, noun
con⋅vinc⋅er, noun
con⋅vin⋅ci⋅ble, adjective
con⋅vinc⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
Synonyms:
1. satisfy.
1. satisfy.
Usage note:
Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by that or of, never by to: We convinced him that he should enter (not convinced him to enter) the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule, convince is often contrasted with persuade, which may take to, of, or that followed by the appropriate construction: We persuaded him to seek counseling (or of his need for counseling or that he should seek counseling). The history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.
Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by that or of, never by to: We convinced him that he should enter (not convinced him to enter) the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule, convince is often contrasted with persuade, which may take to, of, or that followed by the appropriate construction: We persuaded him to seek counseling (or of his need for counseling or that he should seek counseling). The history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To convince
| con·vince (kən-vĭns') tr.v. con·vinced, con·vinc·ing, con·vinc·es
[Latin convincere, to prove wrong : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + vincere, to conquer; see weik-3 in Indo-European roots.] con·vince'ment n., con·vinc'er n., con·vinc'i·ble adj. Usage Note: According to a traditional rule, one persuades someone to act but convinces someone of the truth of a statement or proposition: By convincing me that no good could come of staying, he persuaded me to leave. If the distinction is accepted, then convince should not be used with an infinitive: He persuaded (not convinced) me to go. In a 1981 survey, 61 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the use of convince with an infinitive. But the tide of sentiment against the construction appears to be turning. In a 1996 survey 74 percent accepted it in the sentence I tried to convince him to chip in a few dollars, but he refused. Even in passive constructions, a majority of the Panel accepted convince with an infinitive. Fifty-two percent accepted the sentence After listening to the teacher's report, the committee was convinced to go ahead with the new reading program. Persuade, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable when used with an infinitive or a that clause in both active and passive constructions. An overwheming majority of Panelists in the 1996 survey accepted the following sentences: After a long discussion with her lawyer, she was persuaded to drop the lawsuit. The President persuaded his advisors that military action was necessary. Thus, it seems likely that advocates of the traditional rule governing persuade and convince will find fewer and fewer allies in their camp. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Convince
Con*vince"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convinced; p. pr. & vb. n. Convincing.] [L. convincere, -victum, to refute, prove; con- + vincere to conquer. See Victor, and cf. Convict.]1. To overpower; to overcome; to subdue or master. [Obs.] His two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail so convince That memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume. --Shak. 2. To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to truth; to satisfy by proof. Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might enable them to convince others. --Atterbury. 3. To confute; to prove the fallacy of. [Obs.] God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. --Bacon. 4. To prove guilty; to convict. [Obs.] Which of you convinceth me of sin? --John viii. 46. Seek not to convince me of a crime Which I can ne'er repent, nor you can pardon. --Dryden. Syn: To persuade; satisfy; convict. Usage: To Convince, persuade. To convince is an act of the understanding; to persuade, of the will or feelings. The one is effected by argument, the other by motives. There are cases, however, in which persuade may seem to be used in reference only to the assent of the understanding; as when we say, I am persuaded it is so; I can not persuade myself of the fact. But in such instances there is usually or always a degree of awakened feeling which has had its share in producing the assent of the understanding.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : convince
Spanish:
convencer (de),
German:
überzeugen,
Japanese:
確信させる
convince
1530, "to overcome in argument," from L. convincere "to overcome decisively," from com- intensive prefix + vincere "to conquer" (see victor). Meaning "to firmly persuade" is from 1606.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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| CONVINCE Consortium of North American Veterinary Interactive New Concept Education |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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